


Ends The Same Way

by SecondFromTheRight



Category: Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-14 18:43:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18953566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SecondFromTheRight/pseuds/SecondFromTheRight
Summary: “But it’s ended the same,” Gendry dismissed quickly with the same numb, hopeless tone he’d had before. “I have power that I never wanted…and I lost the only thing I did want, the only thing that would have made any of it mean anything,” he shook his head as he stared at her again. Arya stared back, her tears more visible now; she didn’t look away. Gendry was the one to turn away. He moved so he was sideways against her as she stood there, reflecting the opposite of their last conversation when he was left standing alone. “Well, Ours is the Fury.” He said his House words with a choked-up voice, choosing the role, the fate, expected of him because there was nothing else left for him now. He stumbled slightly as he sat back down, almost falling into his seat, his movement heavy and burdened.Ser Davos looked at him sadly. He’d tried to keep Gendry from any Baratheon action or legacy that could hurt him, and he hadn’t seen this.“Sometimes duty is the death of love.” Tyrion said to himself as he stared at both of them.Set in the 8x06 alternate ending.





	Ends The Same Way

**Author's Note:**

> *Note that I've changed my notes because in my ranty anger, I definitely confused people.
> 
> It's come out there was an alternate discussed/wanted ending (with Jorah at the wall) and this has lead to discussion about what is still potentially canon, or possible canon, or just opinion on canon that Gendry backs Daenerys over Jon at the meeting, and that the push for Jon to go to the wall comes from not just Yara (and Grey Worm) but Gendry demanding it too. This is on the view that making him Lord has made him forever loyal, as Daenerys and Tyrion said it would.
> 
> This whole thing pisses me off. I find it really against what Gendry is about. But it pisses me off more because I don't really feel I can argue it past my personal opinion on what he would do, because he says nothing in canon. He doesn't speak against Daenerys or for Jon. Why not? so I'm left wondering if canonically, there is supposed to be something there, if the canon is that yeah, Daenerys did win his loyalty. The forever loyal line is a set up to something, and I don't feel canon dismisses it, so I'm left a kind of stuck.
> 
> And so with that possibility in mind, I wanted to write something that if that is the case, here's a reason. As anyone who reads my stuff will know I try to explain bad canon more than I try to totally change it. This is mostly because I can think canon fucking sucks and is stupid, but 'it's stupid and I'm discounting and lalala I'm not listening' is not a winning argument. Shit's still canon. The character still did, or didn't do whatever pissed you off. So I'd rather give some depth or context or something to existing canon, than totally rewrite it. I think I've managed to do that with some of my Mentions in particular, with quite a few totally working with what later became canon too.
> 
> So, even though hearing about this part of the alternate ending discussion/suggested canon/near canon/whatever just seemed so stupid to me, I feel the need to defend Gendry. This isn't how I would chose or think this scene would or should go - I've already written my take in a Missing Scene, and I'm working on another take that does change canon. But I've tried my best to give something that would explain maybe why, in such a stupid canon.
> 
> I'm also leaving it as 'set in alternate' purely because as much as I accept canon doesn't have him choosing The Starks, I'm not willing to take it as canon.

“Say another word about killing my brother and I’ll cut your throat.” Arya calmly threatened Yara.

Yara and the new Prince sat up, almost readying themselves for a fight.

“Friends, please –“ Ser Davos tried to intervene.

“That would be your solution, wouldn’t it?” Gendry talked over Davos as he leaned forward to address Arya. His body language wasn’t defensive like Yara’s, instead he seemed to be goading Arya. “Is that…that where Jon gets it from? Or did he tell you the best way to kill things when he gave you that sword? Did he give you the dagger too?” he questioned, his personal resentment clear. The rest looked surprised by his outburst; Arya herself stared at him, her face dropping from her scowl as he used what he knew about her, against her. Sansa frowned, hearing ‘stick them with the pointy end’ in her mind. Gendry seemed to have regret at his own words as he looked away from Arya first, sitting back in his seat. “What are you even doing here anyway? With all the Lords and Ladies you want nothing to do with?” he refocused his scorn, staring down at the dust of the dragon pit with a heavy frown on his face.

“I’m here for my brother.” Arya defended, her tone not as cold as before.

“Except he’s not your brother, he is?” Yara said, stirring further.

Sansa spoke for her family. “No,” she said unaffected. “He’s the rightful heir to the Iron Throne and always has been.” She raised her eyebrow. “And your brother fought for him.” She added, reminding the Ironborn leader of Theon’s loyalties.

Still frowning at the ground, Gendry stayed quiet. Arya continued to watch him from across the canvas.

“And died!” Yara spat. “That seems to be what happens when anyone gets close to your family.” She said with disdain, her eyes running over the three Starks with anger, her own grief still present.

“Is that all it takes to gain your loyalty?” Arya said to Gendry, ignoring the other discussion. “A lordship?”

“I offered you my loyalty; you didn’t want it.” Gendry countered. The frown on his face remained as he kept his head forward as if he found it hard to look at her.

“Why do you think she made you Lord Baratheon in the first place? To buy your support,” Arya tilted her head as she stared over at him. “Congratulations, you’re making a wonderful go of it.” She said coldly, deliberately using words from the last time they’d seen each other, words that were then said with affection and praise.

“And who told her who I was? Jon,” Gendry faced her again, her words getting to him as he also remembered. “Another thing he decided for everyone else.” He criticised, showing more of where his hurt and anger was coming from.

Recognising something he had knowledge and involvement in, Ser Davos tried again to calm things down. “Gendry –“

“And now you and your new friend are going to decide instead?” Arya said mockingly, the one to cut Davos off this time. She slowly looked over Yara, returning her previous look.

Gendry scowled at her, leaning forward to see past Davos. “The Lannister’s spent years trying to kill me. If it wasn’t Joffrey or Cersei here it was Tywin Lannister in Harrenhal. You wanted them dead too,” he pointed out. “Well Daenerys finally did it,” he said with a taunt, knowing it was a name Arya had failed to cross off her list herself. “She gave her word she would, and she did. And then Jon killed her,” he gestured with a dip of his head. “You stabbed the Night King in the heart, Jon stabbed the Queen in the heart. Like brother, like sister.” He said condescendingly, angry. He stared at her, his chest heaving as he got worked up. His passion for her showed in resentment now, the only way it could since she’d turned him down and he’d thrown into a world he hadn’t known, or wanted, alone.

The rest of the gathering showed different levels of attention of the argument. Sam and Brienne wore similar confused frowns, and both kept their focus away from the Stark and Baratheon, curious but still trying to be respectful. On the opposite side, Robin Aaryn watched looking almost gleeful, as if viewing some show put on just for his amusement.

“Cousin like cousin.” Yara corrected Gendry, seeming to miss the tension as Arya stared back at Gendry. Arya wasn’t so obviously caught up like he was, not as animated, but her sole focus was on him. She didn’t even look at Yara.

“Lord Baratheon,” Sansa said politely, trying to move things forward. At her voice, Gendry blinked, his eye contact with Arya dropping away, reacting to the interruption differently than she had. He slumped back in seat, almost looking out of breath. The heavy frown was back, furrowing his brows as he stared ahead. “You followed Jon beyond the wall. In fact, you’re the only one here who did.” Sansa pointed out, hoping that reminding him as well as everyone else that Gendry had once chosen to stand with Jon would help.

Tilting his head, he continued to face straight ahead, not turning to her or any of the Starks. “A wasted trip that could have been avoided if Jon didn’t try make peace with Cersei Lannister. And Daenerys and her dragons had to come and save everyone in the end anyway.” He pointed out with derision. He shook his head, heavy with everything that had happened that maybe didn’t need to and through it all, to the end, he was still just a pawn for everyone else. He’d never be anything else, even now.

“I didn’t realise you were so angry at Jon.” Ser Davos said from beside Gendry. The knight sounded confused as he looked at Gendry. He also sounded guilty, mindful that he was the one to introduce the two. Was this his fault? Had he brought Gendry into something he wasn’t ready for?

Gendry tilted his head away from Davos, not able to face him either. “I told him our fathers had trusted each other,” he said slowly, the fire he had in exchange with Arya now gone. “That wasn’t the truth though, was it?” he scoffed quietly, something almost sad about his voice as he kept himself isolated from everyone, not looking at either side of him.

“He’s not angry at Jon, he’s angry at me.” Arya said on behalf of him.

“Because everything is about you.” Gendry muttered sarcastically, his attempt to refute her sounding weak. He clenched his jaw.

Arya merely blinked. “This isn’t?”

“I’m just doing what’s expected of me now,” Gendry said mockingly, his anger once again growing at her disinterest. How could she sit there so easily while he was ruined? “Jon betrayed and killed the Queen he swore loyalty to. There’s supposed to be a price for it.” he continued, playing the role he’d have for the rest of his life.

“I’m sure I speak for most of us here when uh, I say it’s clear there’s…things we don’t…know everything about,” Sam started, his calm voice washing over the most them he was referring to “But –“ he abruptly stopped when Arya stood. Everyone’s attention was now on her as she walked over to Gendry, her movements determined.

Stopping in front of him, she stared down at him. Gendry averted his eyes, staring ahead as if she wasn’t there. “Get up,” she demanded. The only note that he’d heard her was the way his frown deepened, intense as if he was putting everything into it. “Get up,” she repeated as she kicked his boot. Finally he looked up at her. She stepped back as he stood, staring at him. Then she shoved him, a sudden burst of her own anger, finally mirroring his. “What are you doing?!” she yelled at him, her control coming undone for the first time as they stood in front of each other.

“Arya.” Sansa cautioned, looking worried.

“I don’t know!” Gendry yelled back at her. “I told you I didn’t know how to do this! I told you none of it would mean anything without you!” he continued desperately as her reaction released something in him. Shaking his head, he stared down at her, tears blurring his eyes. “I didn’t want this.” He whispered.

Swallowing back her own upset as she too now had tears, continuing to mirror Gendry, Arya turned her focus down. She hadn’t been expecting his upset, and she couldn’t not react to it. It almost looked as if her eyes were closed. “You may hate me, but do you really think making my brother suffer is going to make you happy?” she said after a moment, her voice more controlled again.

“Happy?” Gendry scoffed as he stared at her, as if the concept was beyond him.

“Jon trusted you.” She said quietly as she flicked her eyes back up to him. Unlike Gendry who moved where he was, his shoulders slumping and his feet slightly shifting as he looked for grounding, Arya kept her body perfectly still again.

He shook his head at her suggestion that he was the one who had betrayed something when he had lost too, when he was more alone than anyone was now, right when he didn’t think he ever would be again. “And I trusted him, because of you. I trusted him and he told people who I was. And because of that I…” he trailed off. He stared at her, tracing over her face. He took a breath. “Because of Jon’s father, my father lost the woman he loved,” he said numbly. “I guess we’re back there again.”

“It’s not the same thing! Jon didn’t know!” Arya tried to argue, annoyed at the comparison when it was nothing alike, annoyed that she was so misunderstood. She did love Gendry. She hadn’t turned him away because she didn’t want him. She was the one who couldn’t, she was the one who couldn’t be what he would need his wife to be. And none of it had been Jon’s fault.

Most of the meeting showed discomfort at the realisation of what was going on, and what had occurred before. There was also acknowledgment about how wrong they’d gotten the last time, relating to how oblivious they apparently had been with what was happening now.

“But it’s ended the same,” Gendry dismissed quickly with the same numb, hopeless tone he’d had before. “I have power that I never wanted…and I lost the only thing I did want, the only thing that would have made any of it mean anything,” he shook his head as he stared at her again. Arya stared back, her tears more visible now; she didn’t look away. Gendry was the one to turn away. He moved so he was sideways against her as she stood there, reflecting the opposite of their last conversation when he was left standing alone. “Well, Ours is the Fury.” He said his House words with a choked-up voice, choosing the role, the fate, expected of him because there was nothing else left for him now. He stumbled slightly as he sat back down, almost falling into his seat, his movement heavy and burdened.

Ser Davos looked at him sadly. He’d tried to keep Gendry from any Baratheon action or legacy that could hurt him, and he hadn’t seen this.

“Sometimes duty is the death of love.” Tyrion said to himself as he stared at both of them. In turn, Gendry raised his eyes to look at him, but let his focus falter again. Arya on the other hand fully turned and frowned at him thoughtfully. Brienne bowed her head, having her own reaction to the words.

“Quiet!” Grey Worm ordered. Tyrion flinched away from him, showing how he’d spent the past weeks. Arya dropped her head, thoughts clearly going through her mind.

“Be careful she doesn’t stab you through the heart too.” Edmund Tully joked, breaking the silence. He looked at everyone with a smile on his face, as if he was speaking for them all.

“Shut up!”  
“Shut up.” Arya and Gendry snapped at him at the same time, Arya’s irritation to Gendry’s tiredness.

Leaning forward, Sam shook his head at Edmund Tully, kindly suggesting he not get involved. Edmund sat back, clearly embarrassed his comment hadn’t been received as he’d expected, the only smirks given were at Arya and Gendry’s yelling at him.

Arya and Gendry’s eyes met as they remembered the other times they’d said the same words, together, and for each other. Arya tried to give him a smile, her mouth curling slightly as she stared at him, her eyes still showing her upset. Gendry looked back at her for a moment, finally closing his eyes because it was easier. The reminder of who they’d been seemed to be enough to refocus Arya again. She turned, stepping in front of him again, her movement calm this time, opposite than the way she had faced up to him before. “You don’t want this,” she started. “And I don’t believe you would support a Queen who killed so many people for no reason. I was there, Gendry. She went street by street, burning people alive. What used to be your streets,” she continued. Gendry frowned, screwing his closed eyes up at what she said. Some of the rest of the meeting reacted too. Those who had been there showing their upset as they remembered what they’d seen, the ones who hadn’t been started to show some understanding. Yara dropped her head and Robin Arryn sank in his seat. “And I tried to help someone, like you helped me,” Arya paused, referencing how they’d met. “…but I couldn’t,” she said, rare failure and vulnerability clear in her voice. It was enough to make Gendry open his eyes, as if he couldn’t leave her alone in her distress. She gave him another slight, sad smile in her appreciation. “She picked on those below her, because she could,” she continued. “That’s not you,” She whispered with a shake of her head. “That’s never been you.” She said surely, but emotionally as she tried to fix her earlier mistake of using previous words against him, trying to remind him that she knew him, and knew that he’d always stood against exactly what Daenerys had done; a power using the weak, simply because she could.

“She came to save people.” Grey Worm said from behind her, defending Daenerys. “She was Your Queen!” he added, disapproving of Gendry’s silence, and Arya’s rebuking.

Arya turned slightly, almost looking over her shoulder at him, but she didn’t move. Gendry didn’t react to him at all, only looking at Arya. Finally, when she’d turned back to him, he nodded at her slowly, showing his change of stance to her side. They exchanged looks again.

“You’re so easily swayed?” Yara said with contempt, almost over-compensating for nearly reacting as well. “Pathetic.” She glared at them.

Arya turned her eyes to Yara. She moved her body in the same direction. “Say one more thing about someone I care about –“

“Arya.” Gendry said gently as he grabbed her wrist, stopping her from moving towards Yara, not affected about the words of the Ironborn. Arya let herself be caught, but she still stared at Yara from where she stood in front of Gendry.

“Manipulate him all you like. You won’t change my mind.” Yara said determinedly as she turned away, dismissing being part of any of it.

Arya was unmoved, her control back as it had been, seeming impervious and detached even as she stood with Gendry’s hand on her, even as she was aware of everyone having witnessed such an emotional and important point for her. “Do you think I care what’s in your mind? Or what happens to you?” she said with disinterest, making the underlying point that what she’d just involved herself in wasn’t because she thought it would save Jon, but was about Gendry alone. It was her defending Gendry and who he was, just as she had defended Jon.

Sighing with release at the realisation, Gendry dropped his head. Noticing, Arya faced him again. She adjusted her arm, taking Gendry’s hand fully in hers. He looked up at her. Both seemed to realise how their position looked, Gendry below her, her hand is his, as if he was proposing to her all over again. He went to let go, but she tightened her grip. Hit with the fact that he still didn’t have her, that he’d have to go through however many of these meetings without her, he dropped his head lower until his temple was briefly pressed against her hand, still holding his. Arya stepped closer, blocking his upset from view of as many people as she could. She turned her eyes to Davos who quickly understood her; he leaned forward, also crowding Gendry from the opposite side, his loyalty showing, even though he didn’t understand.

At his movement, the rest of the meeting seemed to take a breath, different levels of emotions showing. Sansa stared at Arya with care, as if she felt some of her upset. She was clearly trying to understand what she’d just seen, never expecting to see Arya that way. Sam as one who’d known the truth about Jon’s as long as he had, frowned with sympathy at what seemed to be playing out again. Bran was the only one to show no reaction, sitting stoically as he had the whole meeting.

Even Grey Worm seemed moved, reminded of his own love, and his own loss. Pressing his lips together, he raised his head, turning away from them.

“As…enlightening as this has been, it doesn’t change things,” The new Prince of Dorne was surprisingly the one to speak, sucking all the tension from everyone. “Dorne celebrates the end of Cersei after what she did to our people. We did not know Daenerys Targaryen, nor the apparent heir of Rhaegar Targaryen and so do not particularly grieve over the loss of either, but whether Jon Snow or Aegon Targaryen, he cannot be allowed to kill a Queen he swore loyalty to. He did not make a claim, or declare war, it was treason and it cannot stand, or else, what would stop the rest of us? Here, or our own households?” he rationally argued.

“This solves nothing.” Grey Worm said when no one else spoke, angry at the stalemate and the circling without any solution.

“And neither does more war,” Ser Davos argued. After exchanging another quick look at Arya, he stood, addressing everyone but keeping his focus on Grey Worm. “Torgo Nudho. Am I saying that right?” he attempted to say the real name of the Commander of the Unsullied, in his language, hoping it would bridge some of the divide. Arya took the moment to return to her seat. While small enough that she barely showed as someone who wasn’t also in a chair and as such didn’t loom uncomfortably, she still was standing while everyone else was seated. She squeezed Gendry’s hand, smoothing over the rough skin from smithing, something that still showed exactly who he was, and represented the talent and strength she’d always admired in him. He nodded again, accepting she was letting go. He sighed, but sat back quietly, watching her go to her own seat. “There is land in The Reach, good land,” Ser Davos continued. “The people that used to live there are gone. Make it your own, start your own House, with the Unsullied as your bannermen,” he offered. “We’ve had enough war. Thousands of you, thousands of them…you know how it ends," he gave a heavy, tired sigh. "We need to find a better way.” He tried to reason.

“We do not need payment,” Grey Worm said, some offence obviously taken, the opposite of what Ser Davos had tried to do. “We need justice,” He explained. “Jon Snow cannot go free.”

Deflated, Ser Davos sat back down, unable to make an argument, and unwilling to give Jon up.

“It is not for you to decide.” Tyrion said, only the second time he’d spoken.

“You are not here to speak!“ Grey Worm snapped at him again, his anger even more this time at the reminder of his loss from Davos, and the reminder of his loss from Arya and Gendry. He was not understood here, and the only people who had understood him were dead. There was only one thing that mattered to him now. “Everyone has heard enough words from you.”

Again Tyrion flinched, but he screwed his eyes closed this time, willing himself to say more. “You’re right,“ he nodded sadly. “And no one is better for it, but it is not for you to decide,” he risked looking at Grey Worm. “His fate is for our King, to decide, or our Queen,” he paused, looking at the representatives of the Houses.

“We don’t have a King or Queen.” was pointed out.

“You’re the most powerful people in Westeros,” Tyrion reasoned. “Choose one.” He gave a small shrug at what was the obvious thing to do.

Grey Worm stared down at Tyrion, angry that he was right. Pressing his lips together again in upset, he turned to the meeting. “Make your choice then.” He said, accepting it was what had to be done.

They all turned to one another, pairing off as they surveyed the options of who would take power. Edmund Tully tried to speak on his own suitability for King, only to be dismissed by Sansa, embarrassed again. Arya’s amusement was a little more understanding than the rest there, recognising she’d also had her moment of everyone’s attention on her. Sam made a pitch for the people to decide, also to be laughed down.

“I suppose you want the crown.” Edmund Tully said to Tyrion as everyone came to the end of their laughing. At least the tension from before was gone.

“Me? An imp,” Tyrion shook his head. “Half the people hate me for siding with Daenerys, the other half hate me for betraying her. I can’t think of a worse choice.”

“Who then?” Ser Davos asked, still valuing his input and giving him the space to speak.

“I’ve had nothing to do but think these past few weeks,” Tyrion started, “About our bloody history, about the mistakes we’ve made,” he continued with a look to Grey Worm. Silently, Grey Worm gave his allowance for Tyrion to step forward and speak. “What unities people? Armies? Gold? Flags?” Tyrion listed. He shook his head. “Stories,” he said. “There’s nothing more powerful than a good story. It’s why we have songs, of great stories. Daenerys had one, Jon had one. We all just saw some of one play out here right in front of us,” he nodded to Arya and then Gendry, acknowledging what had happened earlier. “We watched and listened, intrigued about the story behind the moment, what we didn’t know,” he paused again as the two looked at each other, and everyone else sat quietly, some with edges of a smile, seeming to accept the point. “A good story can command all of us. No enemy can defeat it,” he looked around the meeting again. “And who has a better story, than Bran the Broken? The one who holds all of our stories, and his own.” He continued, making the case for Bran. All supported the claim except Sansa who fought for the North to be independent, a request that the new King granted. Bran made Tyrion his hand, claiming he would spend the rest of his life trying to fix the mistakes he had made.

“It is not enough.” Grey Worm said, displeased by the outcome.

“And it does nothing to set the example that treason cannot be allowed.” The new Prince of Dorne repeated his point.

Many slumped, feeling like they still hadn’t worked out how to move ahead.

“What stops it from happening again?” Gendry asked after they’d come to the agreement that Jon would go to the wall, Grey Worm, Yara and the new Prince of Dorne accepting it was enough. Everyone looked to him. “Any King or Queen who…goes too far. What stops this from happening again the same way?” he asked, trying to find his way through this. Maybe it was the naivety that made him ask, but he was left feeling empty and he needed something, he needed assurance of some kind that this wasn’t all it was ever going to be.

“You will,” Bran said, meeting Gendry’s eyes. His words were said with confidence, seemingly understanding that Gendry needed it, needed further faith in him as he wouldn’t have Arya’s constant presence to remind him. “Objections to a crown’s actions shall be spoken here, freely. And decided upon by those here.” Bran declared.

Arya smiled softly at the exchange as she watched them, though she also looked slightly torn at the words, as if worried they were suggesting something specific for Gendry’s future, as if he alone may be the one that would stop it, rather than the functions they were putting in place. Tyrion nodded his approval. Everyone seemed to take the lead from him, showing their own levels of agreement. Yara side-eyed Gendry almost begrudgingly, as if accepting he wasn’t the idiot she’d thought. Ser Davos sat proudly and relieved and Sam openly smiled, glad for the small victory towards positive change.

Gendry’s attention turned back to Arya, wondering how he was supposed to do this without her, and hoping that doing some kind of good was going to be enough for him to live his life without her, hoping that her influence on him would remain, even if she physically didn't.

**Author's Note:**

> *Note also changed this, though not much.
> 
> Thank you for reading.
> 
> So, yeah. I really tried to pull in some things, to use things, to work into the canon we saw, to add some other things that seemed missing, to explain away this apparent 'Gendry is for Daenerys, against The Starks' stupidity. I hope I've sort of done something with it. It's dramatic, more than I'd like, but I guess I figure if Gendry actually was to take that way, he would be being dramatic as fuck.
> 
> Like, for real, you need someone to be speaking against letting Jon go for plot reasons? The new Prince of Dorne is right there and is a totally empty character! He has no emotional connection to anybody we care about or of The North, Dorne has plenty of reason to be glad for Cersei's no longer being there and no one cares if he's a fucking dick, because we don't care about him! It's right there!
> 
> <https://secondfromtheright.tumblr.com/>


End file.
